Planters Telephone Cooperative

What Planters Telephone Cooperative does

Planters Telephone Cooperative, Inc. is a privately held, member-owned rural telecommunications cooperative founded in 1950 and headquartered at 100 Ogeechee Street in Newington, Georgia. The cooperative provides broadband internet, local and long-distance voice, and bundled services to residential and business customers across Screven County, Effingham County, and surrounding areas of Southeast Georgia, growing from 699 subscribers in 1956 to over 10,000 by 2004 and operating as an 11-50 employee organization. Its network runs on company-owned fiber-optic plant with digital switching, and the service portfolio spans internet speeds from 250 Mbps to 8 Gbps, voice packages starting at $21.89/month, three-tier bundles from $59.95 to $104.95/month, and Calix GigaSpire Wi-Fi 6 customer-premises equipment available via rental or purchase.

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring monthly subscriptions across residential internet, residential voice, and bundled packages, supplemented by equipment rental (router at $12.95/month, extender at $100 unit), calling features add-ons, and a custom Business Solutions portfolio that includes POTS, Hosted Voice, SIP Trunking, legacy T1/ISDN PRI, and dedicated Ethernet services (E-LINE, E-LAN, E-TREE). Go-to-market is sales-led and direct, executed through the corporate website, the SmartHub self-service portal, social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram), and phone-based customer service at the Newington headquarters. Pricing is publicly disclosed across consumer tiers; business pricing is custom-quoted.

The cooperative operates under a member-governance structure with a Board of Directors (President Jeff Lariscy, Vice President Franklin Goldwire, Secretary/Treasurer Edwin Lovett, and directors Brenda Scott, Doug Dirst, John C. Lacienski, and Ramona Kessler), holds no external private equity or strategic parent ownership, and was originally capitalized through Rural Electrification Administration (REA) telephone program loans. Strategic product evolution has progressed from copper voice (founded 1950), to fiber-optic backbone and digital switching (1995), to consumer broadband and cellular resale via an Alltel Cellular partnership (mid-2000s), to its current multi-gig residential and hosted-voice/SIP business offerings under the Planters Broadband and Planters Communications brands.

Name

Planters Telephone Cooperative

Legal name

Planters Telephone Cooperative, Inc.

Website

https://planters.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Planters Telephone Cooperative is a member-owned rural telecom cooperative founded in 1950 in Newington, Georgia, providing broadband internet (up to 8 Gbps), voice, and bundled services to residential and business customers across Screven and Effingham Counties in Southeast Georgia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Telecommunications Services

NAICS

Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111)

SIC

Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813)

akta.pro primary industry

Rural Broadband & Cooperative Fiber Operators (HDAIACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rural & Regional ISPs (HDAIADAI), Rural & Universal Service Fixed Broadband Providers (HDAIABAJ), Municipal & Community Broadband Networks (HDAIACAE)

Keywords

• Rural broadband internet
• Voice telephone services
• Telecommunications cooperative
• Business telecom solutions
• Broadband internet bundles

Headquarters

HQ city

Newington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Residential Internet Services: Monthly subscription-based broadband internet services offered at various speed tiers (up to 250 Mbps, 1 Gig, 8 Gigs). Revenue generated through recurring monthly fees with no data caps, no slowdowns, and no overage fees.
2. Residential Voice Services: Local telephone service and long distance services billed monthly. Local service starts at $21.89/month, long distance at $0.05/minute. Includes various calling features.
3. Bundled Services: Package deals combining phone and internet services starting at $69.95/month. Bundles include free long distance to Continental US, local telephone service, voicemail, and other calling features.
4. Equipment Rental: Residential router rental at $12.95/month with 1-year contract. Business router available for $200 purchase. Extender available at $100 for both residential and business.
5. Business Solutions: Custom business packages including phone only or phone + internet bundle, POTS, Hosted Voice, SIP Trunking, Legacy T1/ISDN PRI, and Dedicated Ethernet Services (E-LINE, E-LAN, E-TREE). Pricing provided upon request.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Planters Telephone Cooperative provides broadband internet service (speeds from 250 Mbps up to 8 Gbps) and local and long-distance telephone service to residential customers, along with bundled voice-internet packages and customized business telecom solutions (POTS, Hosted Voice, SIP Trunking, T1/ISDN PRI, and Dedicated Ethernet E-LINE, E-LAN, E-TREE). Services are delivered over the cooperative's own fiber-optic and digital switching infrastructure across Screven and Effingham Counties in Southeast Georgia, supported by Calix GigaSpire Wi-Fi 6 customer premise equipment, an extensive set of calling features, and the SmartHub self-service customer portal.

Product overview

Planters Telephone Cooperative is a rural telecommunications provider offering a unified portfolio of broadband internet, voice telephone, and bundled services through its core Planters Broadband brand and subsidiary Planters Communications. The portfolio consists of internet connectivity tiers (250 Mbps to 8 Gbps), local and long-distance voice services, and combined bundle packages—all supported by managed network equipment (Calix GigaSpire routers), the SmartHub customer portal, and supplementary calling features. Business Solutions extends the offering with enterprise-grade options including hosted voice, SIP trunking, and dedicated Ethernet services. The cooperative operates primarily in Screven, Effingham, and surrounding counties in Southeast Georgia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Planters Broadband (Residential and Business Internet) Residential and business broadband internet service providing connectivity at speed tiers of up to 250 Mbps, 1 Gig, and 8 Gigs, with no data caps, no slowdowns, and no overage fees. Designed for rural households and businesses in Southeast Georgia communities seeking affordable high-speed internet.
• Voice/Telephone Service Local and long-distance telephone service offered to residential and business customers, with local service starting at $21.89/month and long-distance at $0.05/minute. Includes various calling features and is part of the cooperative's foundational telecom offering.
• Broadband Bundles Package offerings that combine home phone service with broadband internet at three speed tiers (250 Mbps, 1 Gig, 8 Gigs), starting from $59.95/month. Bundles include free long distance to the Continental US, voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, three-way calling, speed dialing, call forwarding, call return, and other calling features. Designed for residential customers seeking combined voice and internet at a single monthly price.
• Business Solutions Customized business telecommunications packages offered to small and medium businesses, including phone-only or phone-plus-internet bundles, POTS, Hosted Voice, SIP Trunking, legacy T1/ISDN PRI, and Dedicated Ethernet Services (E-LINE, E-LAN, E-TREE). Pricing is provided upon request based on the customer's needs.
• Calix GigaSpire BLAST u6.2 Router Next-generation Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) smart home router system providing multi-Gigabit throughput for IPTV video and broadband data services. Available to residential customers via monthly rental ($12.95/month with 1-year contract) and to business customers as a $200 one-time purchase.
• Calix GigaSpire BLAST u4 Extender Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) smart home range extender that extends the access network into the home for enhanced coverage. Priced at $100 as a one-time purchase for both residential and business customers.
• Planters Communications Sub-brand of Planters Telephone Cooperative offering telecommunications services including internet, voice, and bundled services, with pricing starting at $59.95/month for internet and $44.95/month for voice service. Targets customers within the cooperative's Southeast Georgia service territory.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10,000 subscribers served as of 2004

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Alltel CellularcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlanters Telephone partnered with Alltel Cellular to bring cellular telephone service under the name 'Alltel Cellular' to Screven County and Effingham County as well as surrounding areas. This partnership extended the cooperative's service offerings beyond traditional landline to include mobile services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• TDS Telecom: Operates as a rural-focused ILEC providing fiber broadband, voice, and business services across small-town America, closely mirroring Planters' rural cooperative business model and product mix.
• Consolidated Communications: A publicly held rural and regional ILEC offering fiber broadband, voice, and business services in markets similar to Planters' Southeast Georgia footprint, competing head-to-head on speed, pricing, and SMB solutions.
• Frontier Communications: Large ILEC focused on fiber expansion across smaller and rural U.S. markets, directly comparable to Planters in target customer profile, multi-gig consumer tiers, and voice+internet bundle strategy.
• Windstream: Regional ILEC and CLEC delivering fiber broadband, hosted voice, SIP trunking, and dedicated Ethernet to rural and mid-sized markets, overlapping with Planters' residential and business solution portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Lumen Technologies (CenturyLink): Large incumbent carrier with a meaningful rural wireline footprint offering fiber, voice, and wholesale Ethernet services; broader in scale than Planters but directly overlapping in product capabilities and target customers.
• AT&T: National incumbent with significant wireline and fiber presence in Georgia markets adjacent to Planters' territory, competing for the same residential and business broadband demand and pressuring prices.

Emerging players

• Starlink (SpaceX): Satellite broadband service specifically targeting unserved and rural U.S. households, a direct substitute for Planters' fixed wireless/fiber offering in low-density Screven and Effingham County areas.
• Viasat: Satellite broadband provider with a long-standing rural subscriber base, competing with Planters for residential internet customers in geographies where fiber trenching is uneconomic.
• Hughes Network Systems (EchoStar): Provides satellite internet (HughesNet) and managed network services to rural and SMB customers, overlapping with Planters' broadband and business connectivity use cases.
• T-Mobile US (Home Internet): 5G fixed wireless home internet service aggressively marketing to rural and small-town households, a direct alternative to Planters' broadband bundles in and around its service territory.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/planterstelco
• Facebookfacebook.com/planterstelephone
• Instagraminstagram.com/planterstelephone
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/planters-telephone-coopertive

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Planters Telephone Cooperative